Introduction

Many horror franchises are timeless. Like fine wine, they just get better with age. Movies like Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street always bring a smile to my face, even in 2024. However, some lesser-known horror films still fall into this category, including 1982’s The Thing, directed by John Carpenter. I still love this movie, even after watching it countless times. It’s one of the reasons I was excited for the game’s release, which took 20 years to arrive. Even stranger, Nightdive Studios, known for their remakes, has now remastered The Thing for modern consoles.

Enter The Thing: Remastered, a horror game I didn’t think would see the light of day but somehow did. As a fan of the franchise, I was destined to buy it day one. Is The Thing: Remastered the remaster we secretly needed, or like the creature from the movie, should it have stayed frozen? Let’s find out in The Thing Remastered review for the PS5!

Watch the Official Trailer

Gameplay

For those of you who never played the PS2 version of The Thing, The Thing: Remastered might require some explanation. Players take on the role of Blake, a US Special Forces Captain sent to investigate Outpost 31 in Antarctica. For those unaware, Outpost 31 is where the events of The Thing take place, and it experienced a horrific incident. Blake soon learns that the outpost discovered an alien entity, and in an attempt to stop the threat from reaching the mainland, they destroyed the outpost, leaving it in ruins. Unfortunately, Blake also discovers that their efforts weren’t entirely successful, and the unknown entity is still very much alive. As Blake, your goal is to investigate what happened, prevent the threat from eliminating the remaining survivors, and escape the icy prison.

Back in the early 2000s, The Thing was revolutionary. Your team consists of four members who act like real people—well, most of the time. When they witness The Thing and its carnage, they become scared, sometimes going mad or turning against your team due to a lack of trust. You’ll need to micromanage your team as they’re essential for many tasks.

Each member has a role: medics can heal life-threatening injuries, engineers can repair equipment, and soldiers excel at combat. To keep the team functional and sane, you’ll need to provide them with weapons to earn their trust, help them escape dangerous situations, or give them adrenaline to maintain their composure. While The Thing: Remastered doesn’t change the formula much, I can tell that the mechanics have been refined to address some of the original’s issues without altering its core.

When you’re not managing your team, you’ll face The Thing and its forces, which come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. The smaller enemies can be killed with gunfire, while medium threats must be shot and then burned (just like the movie). Bosses follow a similar format, but they include mechanics to keep things interesting. The system does get repetitive, but one enjoyable element is the potential for a team member to not be who they claim to be. Like in the movie, your squad could be infected, and although they appear human, their true nature is alien. You’ll need to occasionally monitor this and prove to your team that you’re human through blood tests. This doesn’t happen often, but it’s thrilling when it does.

The Thing: Remastered follows a level-based structure where you clear areas before moving on to the next, which is essentially the same as the last one with slight layout changes. This repetition can get old quickly, but at least it keeps things consistently different. The game can feel boring after several hours, so it’s best to play in sessions rather than trying to finish in one sitting. This approach feels like the typical formula for many PS2 games.

Graphics

Without a doubt, the worst part of The Thing: Remastered is its visuals, which sadly don’t look much like a remaster. For $29.99, The Thing: Remastered appears to have been ported from the PS2 with minimal smoothing. While it’s not an exact replica of the original PS2 version, I wish the developers had spent more time making it look more modern. I didn’t expect next-gen graphics, but a higher resolution would have been nice. That said, the environments still look solid, preventing the game from being completely visually disappointing.

Sound

The Thing: Remastered captures the film’s sound effects well. Machine guns and flamethrowers sound like their movie counterparts, and the voice acting (though sometimes comical) retains an 80s feel. While these voice actors may not win any awards, they do an adequate job of recreating the original film’s tone, which is important for a game that acts as a sequel to the movie. The monster effects are also spot-on, with creepy alien noises that add to the unsettling atmosphere.

Story

The Thing was one of those horror movies with a deeply layered story that got overshadowed by the alien monster. The Thing: Remastered, as mentioned earlier, serves as a sequel and fills in many gaps left by the movie. We learn the fate of several key characters and discover that, despite all efforts, The Thing still prevails. While Blake may not be as iconic as R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell’s character in the original film), he serves well as a no-nonsense captain who cares about his team and mission. The side characters don’t have the same impact as the original film’s cast, but they still manage to evoke some emotional investment. I really enjoyed the story, and the ending will make original movie fans smile.

Overall Impression

Here’s the thing—no pun intended. Your enjoyment of The Thing: Remastered will depend largely on two factors: did you love the movies and/or the PS2 game? I can’t explain why, in 2024, near Christmas, The Thing: Remastered even made its way to modern consoles. Am I complaining? No, because I enjoy the game despite its flaws. Ultimately, people will only truly love The Thing: Remastered if they have fond memories of the franchise, and that’s perfectly fine. Just don’t expect a revolutionary third-person action/shooter experience. Maybe the original was groundbreaking, but in 2024, far better titles exist.

Conclusion

The Thing: Remastered isn’t a game I’d recommend rushing to buy. If you’re not a fan of the movie or the original PS2 version, it won’t change your mind. However, I had fun with it and didn’t regret spending nearly $30 on it. Fans of the franchise will probably love it regardless of what I say, and if you own the PS2 copy, you might be better off just playing that one instead of spending money on this version.

–Aaron